Moving Forward

Your Vote Can Make a Difference

WRITTEN BY MACKENZIE HARRIS

Americans all want their cake but can’t quite eat it too. They want to live in a perfect world with the American dream as their day-to-day lives…to have money, comfort, security and safety. In order to do this, structures like laws, taxes and safety nets are needed. A utopian society where every American does their part – their fair share – is just not happening today. But if more people worked towards a true democracy where the citizens care about policies being created and actually vote in elections, this idea that “one vote doesn’t matter,” would cease to exist.

In 2014, according to Pew Research, approximately 36 percent of eligible Americans voted in the midterm election, which was the worst turnout in 72 years. So, what about the other 64 percent of American citizens?

If eligible voters choose not to vote or do not have the means to do so, there will not be a change in anyone’s favor. All aspects of American society – education, jobs, justice services and social safety nets – begin to suffer because of the breakdown and this is not the first time that it has happened.

In 2012, the United States trailed most developed countries in national election voter turnout with a shocking 54 percent who showed up to the booths to vote out of the 84 percent of registered voters. That means that 30 percent of registered voters did not vote in the national election, according to Pew Research.